8 Best Medical Schools in Tennessee, USA

Were you fascinated by how Doctors took care of their patients the last time you visited the hospital? Do you want to play that role in the next coming years? If yes, All you must do is enroll in a good medical school. You can get an excellent Medical degree from one of the medical schools in Tennesse.

Medical schools in Tennesse are raked among the medical schools in the world. They rank in top publications like the US News and world rankings, QS rankings, and many others.

You may be surprised at the realization that most of these medical schools are very affordable and they also offer scholarships and financial aids such as loans and grants to their students.

Before we dive into the list of schools, we will briefly describe what you should expect from the medical profession.

What is Medicine?

According to Wikipedia, Medicine is the science and practice of establishing the diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. Basically, the aim of medicine is to promote health and maintain wellbeing.

List of Medical Specialties

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Pediatrics
  • Pathology
  • Ophthalmology
  • Dermatology
  • Anesthesiology
  • Allergy and Immunology
  • Diagnostic Radiology
  • Emergency medicine
  • Internal medicine
  • Family medicine
  • Nuclear Medicine
  • Neurology
  • Surgery
  • Urology
  • Medical genetics
  • Preventive Medicine
  • Psychiatry
  • Radiation Oncology
  • Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Who is Medical Personnel?

It is impossible to discuss medicine without mentioning the role of medical personnel. A physician, physician assistant, and registered nurse practitioners are the common types of medical personnel.

According to the US legal, These professionals are licensed under “ORS chapter 677 or a physician assistant licensed under ORS 677.505 to 677.525 as a physician, physician’s assistant, nurse, emergency medical technician, or other person authorized under State or Federal law or regulation to collect blood and urine specimens.”

Basically, their role is to diagnose, treat and provide the required health care services to patients.

Why Study Medicine?

As a high school teacher, I asked my students what they would like to become in the future, a good number said they would love to become medical doctors, and others said they want to become an Artist. That clearly proves that the medical profession is highly valued and respected in society.

Besides medicine being a high-esteem profession, a medical career empowers you to help people, gives you an opportunity to give back to society, and also has an excellent graduate prospect that is not obtainable in other careers.

Where does a Medical Practitioner Work?

Medical practitioners are needed in almost all working sectors including Companies, firms, and schools to handle emergency health issues.

Although half of physicians and surgeons work in hospitals, some work in Colleges and Universities where they carry out research. In addition, other physicians work as Family doctors thereby attending to their out-patients.

How Can I Become A Medical Personnel?

If you want to become a medical practitioner, here are the steps you must follow.

  • Earn a Bachelor’s Degree
  • Pass MCAT Exams
  • Enroll in a Medical School
  • Obtain a Licensure
  • Match with Residency

Earn a Bachelor’s Degree

The basic requirement of a medical school is a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or University. Basically, you need a solid foundation in science courses including Biology, Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, and related science majors.

Pass MCAT Exams

Upon completion of your bachelor’s degree, the next step you should take is to write the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). Your performance in the MCAT will determine how prepared you are for medical school.

Enroll in a Medical School

If you perform well in your MCAT, you will be admitted into a medical school of your choice. Basically, as a medical student, you will spend most of your time in the laboratory working directly with patients under the supervision of experienced doctors. In addition, some of the best medical schools are listed in the latter part of this publication.

Obtain a Licensure

After graduating from medical school, you are qualified to take the licensure exams. You can’t practice medicine legally in the United States if you don’t receive a passing score on the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).

Match with Residency

During your final year in medical school, you must apply for residency.

Basically, Residency programs offer aspiring doctors the opportunity to work directly with patients in a specialty area of medicine. Some of these specialty areas include anesthesiology, internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine, and psychiatry.

Why Should I Study Medicine In Tennesse?

Tennessee is a state located in the southeastern part of the United States and is one of the most populous of the 50 United States.

Tennessee has top well recognized medical schools and these schools are loaded with experienced staff and also have the latest technologies for students to gain knowledge and experience.

Apparently, about 80 percent of Health Professions graduates stay in Tennessee. Notable alumni of one of the medical schools in Tennessee is the country music star Kenny Chesney and Michelle Livengood, former senior vice president of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.

In addition to the academic benefits, there are many opportunities for you to explore the heart of Tennessee. You can get to meet Elvis at the Elvis Museum in Pigeon Forge or visit another era in the Crystal Shine Grotto in Memphis. Also, you can attend festivals including music and food festivals throughout the year.

How Much Does It Cost To Study Medicine?

The cost of studying Medicine varies depending on whether a student attends a public or private college and also the location. However, According to the AAMC, the average cost of attending one year at a public medical school is $34,592.

It cost a lot to complete a medical program but no worries, there are medical scholarships available. You can apply for top 30 scholarships for medical students.

How Much Do Medical Doctors Earn?

Data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the median wage for doctors and surgeons is equal to or greater than $208,000 per year.

Also, according to PayScale, the average salary for a medical biller is $34,746 per year, with a reported salary range of $22,490 to $42,084 annually.

What is The Medical Career Prospect?

Due to the high demand for healthcare services by the growing population, BLS proves that the overall employment of physicians and surgeons is projected to grow 7 percent from 2018 to 2028, faster than the average for all occupations.

List Of Medical Schools In Tennesee

We have created a list of the best medical colleges in Tennessee. So, you can choose a school that fits your demands. The basics of our selection of these schools are the ranking, Acceptance rate, tuition, graduation rate, and also the student-teacher ratios.

We got our data from reliable sources, testimonials, interviews, and also by contacting individual schools. Below is the list of the schools, you will have to read further to get information on the various degree programs offered, tuition info, and program options for these schools.

  • East Tennessee State University
  • Meharry Medical College School of Medicine
  • Lincoln Memorial University
  • University of Tennessee College of Medicine
  • Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
  • The University of Tennessee-Health Science Center
  • The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
  • Walden University

East Tennessee State University

TutionAcceptance RateGraduation RateStudent-Teacher Ratio
$10,315 in-state
$25,453 out-of-state
92%43% 17:1

East Tennessee State University is a public university located in Johnson City and was established on October 2, 1911. Basically, the school offers a medical degree and also a joint medical degree and doctoral degree, and students can choose between general medicine and primary health care path.

The College of Medicine is located in hopes dedicated to training primary care physicians so as to increase the number of doctors in rural communities. There are computer-driven facilities to aid students to learn lifesaving techniques.

In addition, the ETSU offers a variety of graduate degree programs and it ranking position in the 2020 edition of Best Colleges in National Universities is 293th -381st according to the US news rankings.

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Meharry Medical College School of Medicine

TuitionAcceptance RateGraduation Rate Student-Teacher Ratio
 $27,132 4%  72.0% 5:1

Meharry Medical College School of Medicine is listed as one of the best medical schools in Tennessee and is well known for its commitment to education for African, Americans and serving the underserved.

MMCSM was founded in 1876 as a graduate and professional institution and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Nashville, Tennessee.

The school has a total Medical school enrollment of 380 students and they have access to multiple community outreach programs and facilities, including community health and health education centers.

Also, at Meharry, students have access to a lot of community facilities, including community health education centers that enable them to participate in research areas like women’s health and neuroscience. 

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Lincoln Memorial University

TuitionAcceptance RateGraduation Rate
$47,000 50%46%

Lincoln Memorial University is a private university that was founded in 1897 and is located in Harrogate. LMU has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,953 and is widely recognized as one of the best medical schools in Tennesee.

The school medical program was accredited in 1942 for a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program and graduates about 90 students per year. Although LMU is a private institution, they provide financial aid in the form of scholarships to students who struggle to meet their financial demands.

Additionally, the school trains doctors to serve and enhance medical care to the underserved. Also, they allow the student to receive their medical training in an interprofessional environment and also ensure that all medical students do rural underserved inpatient and outpatient rotations.

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University of Tennessee College of Medicine

TuitionAcceptance RateGraduation RateFaculty-Student Ratio
$13,120 in-state
$31,308 out-of-state
10% 80% 13:1

If you are looking for a medical school with an impressive faculty-to-student ratio, you may have to consider the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. The school has more than 900 full-time medical professionals to enable the student to establish a quality student-teacher relationship for effective learning.

UTC was founded in 1850 and has four fully integrated locations, including Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Nashville. There are about 650 students enrolled. The school offers both medicine and dentistry and has 224 residents within its faculty and 11 residency and 10 fellowship programs.

Basically, the school offers a 4-MD program. So, students at the College of Medicine spend their first two years in Memphis for preclinical and then later complete their clerkships training in Knoxville or Nashville.

In addition, the College of Medicine including the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital exposes the students to a lot of research that prepares them for bigger opportunities in the future.

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Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

TuitionAcceptance RateGraduation RateStudent-Teacher Ratio
$47,686 6.1%72% 4:1

The Vanderbilt School of Medicine is a private research institution that is located in Nashville and has a total enrollment of 425 medical students. The school is one Tennessee medical school that offers the best research programs. In this regard was ranked 15th in research and 42nd in primary care among all medical schools in the United States in 2010 according to the U.S. News and World Report.

In TMS the newly admitted students spend their first two years participating in traditional coursework and can also pursue an independent study curriculum under the supervision of the medical school faculty.

In addition to the MD program, the college offers dual programs that allow students to have various degree options such as a doctorate in medical science, Doctor of Jurisprudence, MD/Master’s in Business Administration, and MD/Master of Public Health.

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The University of Tennessee-Health Science Center

TuitionAcceptance RateGraduation RateStudent-Faculty Ratio
$34,000 in-state
$67,000 out-of-state
10% 97% 3:1

It is impossible to list the best Tennessee medical schools without mentioning the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. UTHSC is a public health institution that was established in 1911 and has a total enrollment of 620 medical students every year.

Apparently, the school has educated 75 percent of the state’s dentists, 40 percent of its pharmacists, and 40 percent of the physicians, and has also produced the highest number of nursing faculty working in the state today.

In addition, UTHSC is committed to bringing health sciences benefits to the people of Tennessee and the world at large through education, research, clinical care, and public service.

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The University of Tennessee-Knoxville

TuitionAcceptance RateGraduation Rate
 $13,264 in-state
 $31,454 out-of-state
77%69%

The University of Tennessee is a public research university that was founded in 1794, located in Knoxville, Tennessee, and has a total undergraduate enrollment of 22,815.

The school is one of the Tennessee medical schools that is known for research and also the US News and World Report ranked the school 104th in the 2020 edition of Best National colleges and 44th in public institutions of higher learning.

In addition to the research, the university has a direct partnership with the University of Tennessee Medical Centre and that enhances the level of learning. 

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Walden University

TuitionAcceptance RateGraduation Rate
12,075 USD 20%

For those who may like to pursue an online medical degree, Walden University is an online for-profit college in Tennessee. The school was founded in Nashville in 1865 by missionaries.

Higher accredits WU Learning Commission (HLC) and offers a variety of degree programs, including the MD program. 

Additionally, the school offers financial aid to students including scholarships and is also certified by the U.S. Department of Education to take part in a variety of grant and loan programs available to U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens. 

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If you consider Tennessee very far, you might also like to explore other top-rated medical schools such as Best medical schools in Virginia

Conclusions

The path to becoming a medical practitioner is not an easy one. One of the most important things you must consider in this journey is your school choice. We are confident that the schools on our list will provide you with a quality experience and prepare you for the real-world skills that are needed to help others.

References

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